Grand Valley State Captures Ninth Division II Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup; GLIAC finishes with Two Institutions in the Top 10

CLEVELAND (June 4, 2014) – Grand Valley State claims its ninth Division II Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. The Lakers last won the title following the 2010-11 season and finished second the previous two years. Grand Valley State will be honored at the 2014 NACDA Convention during the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, June 10.

Grand Valley State finished with 1,030 points and scored in the maximum 14 sports, including national championships in women’s cross country and women’s soccer, second in men’s cross country, third in football and women’s outdoor track & field, fourth in women’s indoor track & field, sixth in men’s indoor track & field, seventh in men’s outdoor track & field, ninth in women’s volleyball, 10th in both men’s and women’s swimming & diving, 11th in women’s golf, 17th in baseball and 33rd in men’s golf. The Lakers had three scores omitted due to the seven maximum allowed for women’s and men’s sports – men’s and women’s tennis and softball.

West Texas A&M finishes as the runner-up for the title with 708 points. This is the school’s best finish, as West Texas A&M has never been higher than 22nd. The Buffs scored in 12 total sports and finished the spring with a national championship in softball, a 17th place finish in baseball, a 39th place finish in women’s outdoor track & field and a 53rd place finish in men’s outdoor track & field.

Central Missouri takes home third place with 653.75 points. The Mules scored in 12 sports, including fifth in men’s golf, sixth in women’s outdoor track & field and 36th in men’s outdoor track & field. Central Missouri’s best finish for the season was a national title in men’s basketball.

Indianapolis, with 649.75 points, finishes in fourth place. The Greyhounds scored in the maximum 14 sports and had three scores omitted due to the seven maximum allowed for women’s and men’s sports – baseball, football and men’s soccer. Indy’s best score came from an 8th place finish in wrestling. The fourth place finish is a new all-time high for Indianapolis.

Rounding out the top five is Ashland with 637 points. The Eagles scored in 12 sports, including third in men’s outdoor track & field, fifth in women’s outdoor track & field, 33rd in softball and also received points in men’s golf.

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was the only conference to have two institutions ranked in the top 10 – Grand Valley State (1st) and Ashland (5th).

The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 14 sports — seven women’s and seven men’s.

About Learfield Sports: In its four decades, Learfield has developed trusted, long-term relationships with some of the most revered institutions and associations in the world of collegiate athletics. Learfield Sports manages the exclusive multimedia rights to 99 collegiate properties around the country and has prominence in all of the major conferences. Learfield’s rights encompass all athletic department media and sponsorships components, including stadium signage and numerous content distribution platforms. Those platforms deliver the passion of college athletics over radio, television and digital networks to fans globally. This marks the sixth consecutive year for the company to title the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. To learn more, visit www.learfieldsports.com.